The Journey of a Dark Phoenix
Summary-
Harry Potter is the younger twin brother of Andrew Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, and the favorite nephew of their aunt and uncle. After a beating from his cousin and older brother, Harry meets a strange man that is invisible to everyone but him. The man takes Harry as his apprentice and teaches him the ways of a Dark Wizard. When the boys are thrusted into the Wizarding World at the young age of 11, Harry turns the Wizarding World upside down.
Chapter 7-
The train came to a slow stop, Harry opened their compartment door and sneered at the mass of people that were pushing their way toward the train door to get out onto a tiny, dark platform. Harry turned to grab his trunk but was stopped by Draco who grabbed his hand, "We leave our trunks here and the house elves will take them to our room in our House."
"Oh." Harry said threading his fingers through Draco's with a blush. Draco smirked and lead Harry out into the mass and made sure he wasn't pushed and shoved as they made their way onto the platform. Once outside Harry began to shiver from the cold air, Draco noticed this and began to rub his arms to try to warm him up. A loud voice suddenly rang over the noise that was the chatting of all the students.
"Firs' years! Firs' years o'er 'ere!" Every first year made their way over to the voice and noticed a large, wild looking man holding a lamp. "Well, 'ere's Andrew Potter, where is yer twin?" The giant asked when he noticed Andrew, suddenly the giant's eyes landed on Harry, "Ah, there yer are. Don' want ter go loosin' yer two, Dumbledore's orders." Harry and Draco shared a look before they followed the giant when he began to lead them down what seemed like a steep and narrow path. Harry looked around and noticed that it was really dark on both sides of the path, this lead Harry to think that they were walking through a think forest. Harry noticed that no one was speaking and that Neville was sniffing every now and then, Harry sighed and did what the boy should have done as soon as he lost his pet, he silently and wordlessly summoned the frog to him and put a spell on it so that Neville won't be able to loose it ever again.
"Oi, Neville Longbottom." Harry called out making everyone, even Draco, jump. The giant stopped causing everyone else to stop, Neville and Hermione, who was walking next to him, turned and looked at him with teary eyes, Harry held out the toad in his hand, "I think I found your toad." Neville's eyes widened and he made his way over to Harry, he smiled when he saw that the toad in his hand was really his.
"Trevor!" Neville cried and took the toad from Harry who was smiling at him.
"Try not to loose him again, he seems very important to you." Harry said, even though he knew that Neville would never loose him again.
"Thank you, um?" Neville said fishing for Harry's name.
"Harry Potter." Harry said, "Okay, we can continue." The giant nodded then turned and continued to lead them down the path.
"When did you find his toad?" Draco whispered.
"I didn't, I summoned the toad to me." Harry whispered back.
"When?" Draco whispered.
"A minute before I gave him back, didn't you feel me use my magic?" Harry whispered.
"No. Only a wizard as powerful as Merlin himself can feel when someone else is using magic. Not even Dumbledore can do that." Draco whispered.
"Really?" Harry asked and Draco nodded.
"Yer'll get yer firs' sight o' 'Ogwarts in a sec." The giant's voice boomed as he called over his shoulder, "Jus' 'round this bend 'ere." There was a loud and collective 'Ooooh' when they rounded the bend and a majestic castle perched on top of a mountain appeared before them from across a black, glassy lake. Harry knew that all the other students were mesmerized by the castle with its windows sparking in the starry sky, and it's many turrets and towers, but Harry was mesmerized by the magic surrounding the castle like a powerful and protective barrier. The magic was as swirl of Emerald-green, Silver, Maroon, Gold, Canary Yellow, Onyx, Royal Blue, and Bronze, and he could feel all the magic the castle itself held pulsing from all the way across the wide and vast lake, it took his breath away.
The giant lead them to the shore of the lake where there was a little fleet of little boats. "No more'n four to a boat." The giant said as he took a boat for himself. Harry and Draco managed to get a boat with Hermione and Neville, of course Draco wasn't very happy about it but kept his mouth shut as he glared out into the darkness around them while nearly pulling Harry into his lap when Neville looked at Harry with wide adoring eyes. "E'eryone in? Right th'n- FORWARD!" He commanded and the small fleet of boats took off at once.
Once they were a good distance from the shore Harry felt a little playful tug at his magic and looked down at the lake to see a pair of beautiful violet eyes of a mermaid looking back at him. Harry smiled and reached into the lake and gently touched the mermaid's face, more mermaids and a couple mermen joined her. "What are you doing?!" Hermione hissed at him causing Neville and Draco to look at him.
"Just saying hello to the merfolks that came to greet us." Harry said and everyone in the boats around them glanced over the sides of their boats to see the swarm of merfolks. A merman suddenly jumped over Harry's boat, sprinkling water on them and Hermione squeaked as the ice cold water hit her skin while Harry laughed, the merman landed back in the water next to Andrew's boat, nearly knocking it over.
"Ne'er seen them do 'hat be'ore." The giant said from his boat, Harry looked over at him and noticed a low hanging cliff coming closer to them.
"EVERYONE HEADS DOWN!" Harry yelled before the giant could say anything, everyone but Andrew ducked their heads as they sail under the cliff, Andrew was knocked out of his boat and screamed when a couple mermen carried him back to his boat and tossed him back into it. "I told you to duck." Harry said smirking at Andrew who was now shivering, his lips turning a little blue.
After about three minutes of sailing across the lake with the merfolks swimming around them, making sure that no one else fell out of their little boat, they made it back to shore, this time closer to the castle. Harry giggled when he felt the magic of the school wrap around him and fill him with warmth and the protection that only a mother could give, he looked around and noticed that every first year was now wrapped up in what looked like a blanket of either Emerald-green and Silver, Maroon and Gold, Canary Yellow and Onyx Black, or Royal Blue and Bronze. Harry looked at himself and Draco and noticed they were wrapped in Emerald-green and Silver and figured that this was how they were sorted into their houses.
The group of first years continued to follow the giant to the castle and up a flight of stone steps and crowded around the huge, oak front doors. The giant looked around the group, "E'eryone still 'ere? Yer there, s'ill go' yer toad?" He asked Neville who nodded, the giant then turned and knocked three times on the doors, the door swung open at once and a tall, black haired witch in emerald-green robes stood there with a very stern face.
'This was not someone to cross.' Harry thought as he saw the swirl of dark chocolate brown magic around her body, her magic and posture demanded respect, and Harry would gladly give her the respect she demanded until she did something to disrespect him, which he had a feeling she would do soon.
"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall." The giant said.
"Thank you, Hagrid, I will take it from here." Hagrid nodded then passed her as she opened the doors wider and motioned for the students to step in. Harry looked around the entry hall and noticed that it was so big that you could fit the Dursley's house into it five times over and still have room for three Olympic sized pools. The stone walls of the entry hall were lit with flaming torches like Gringotts, the ceiling was too high to make out with it looked like, and a magnificent marble staircase leading to the upper floors was facing them.
The group of first years followed Professor McGonagall across the flagged stone floor towards another set of huge, oak doors. Harry could hear the murmur of hundreds of voices from behind the oak doors and knew that the rest of the school was behind them. Professor McGonagall bypassed the oat doors and lead the group into a small, empty chamber off the hall. They crowded in, standing rather close together; Draco didn't like that and practically wrapped himself around Harry to try and make sure no one touched him. They peered around them nervously wondering what was going on and what would happen next.
"Welcome to Hogwarts," Professor McGonagall said, "The start of term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seat in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your Houses." Harry was confused and looked around at everyone wrapped in their House colors, weren't they already sorted? Maybe he was the only one who could see the school's magic that wrapped them in the House colors of the House they were destined to be in. "The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting."
Harry sighed when he saw that Neville had his cloak fastened under his left ear, "Neville, come over here." Harry said with a commanding voice. Neville nervously made his way to Harry, Harry saw that Neville was also wrapped in Emerald-green and Silver magic, so this nervous act was just a mask then? Harry grabbed Neville's cloak and pulled him close and began to unclasp it, Draco gave a warning growl but Harry hushed him with a quick jab at his ribs. Quickly with out saying anything Harry re-clasped Neville's cloak correctly then gently pushed him a few steps away and checked him over and nodded satisfied. "There, much better." He said and jumped when he felt a brush go through his hair and turned his head to see Daphne had managed to untangle Draco from around him with out him noticing and was now brushing his hair.
"We Slytherin's stick together, plus if you're going to be seen on Draco's arm you got to look the part." She said softly with a smirk, Harry nodded and turned around and let her finish brushing his hair. Once she was done he felt her take a step back and a second later he felt Draco wrap around him again. Harry jumped when suddenly some of the first years screamed, he and Draco turned to look to see that about twenty ghosts had just streamed through the back wall.
Pearly-white and slightly transparent like his master, they glided through the air and across the room, deep in a conversation that looked more like a small argument. They hardly glanced at the first years that were now all staring at them, some with white faces, some with open mouths, and a few with a bored look. "Forgive and forget, I say, we ought to give him a second chance-" A ghost that seemed to be a fat monk said.
"My dear Friar, haven't we already given Peeves all the chances he deserves? He give us all a bad name you know, just let the Bloody Baron deal with him like he always does-" A ghostly woman said.
"What are all of you doing in here?" A gruff ghost asked when he noticed the first years, no one said anything.
"New students about to be sorted?" The Fat Friar asked and a few students nodded mutely, the ghost smiled at them all, "I hope to see you in Hufflepuff, my old house you know."
"Move along now," A sharp voice said and everyone turned to see that Professor McGonagall had returned, "The Sorting Ceremony is about to start." One by one the ghost floated away through the opposite wall. "Now form a line, and follow me." She said to the first years. Harry got into the line behind Neville and Draco got in behind him because he was still wrapped around him. They walked out of the chamber, back across the hall and through the oak doors of the Great Hall. The Great Hall was lit by thousands and thousands of candles that were floating in midair over four long tables, where the rest of the students were sitting watching them. At the top of the Hall was another long table that was filled up with all the Professors and the Headmaster. The tables were laid with glittering golden plates and goblets waiting to be filled with food and drinks.
"It's not the real sky," Harry heard Hermione whisper to Neville and looked up to see the night sky above them, if he didn't know better he would have thought that the Great Hall opened up to the night sky, "It is only bewitched to look like the sky outside. I read about it in Hogwarts, A History." Hermione finished.
The group came to a stop in front of the table that held the Professors and Headmaster, Harry looked around at the students that were sitting at the tables and noticed that none of them were wrapped in the colors of their Houses. Harry looked at to Professor McGonagall as she sat a four-legged stool in front of the first years and put a pointed wizard's hat on top of the stool. The hat was patched, tattered, and extremely dirty; Harry knew that Aunt Petunia would have never let it into the house; but also surrounding it was a powerful dark purple almost black line of magic, this hat was magical.
Harry glanced around and saw that everyone's attention was now on the hat and he looked back at the hat. For a few minutes nothing happened, then suddenly Harry saw the magic brighten a little before going back to normal and the hat began to twitch. A rip near the brim of the hat opened like a mouth and it began to sing.
"Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,
But don't judge on what you see,
I'll eat myself if you can find
A smarter hat than me.
You can keep your bowlers black,
Your top hats sleek and tall,
For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat
And I can cap them all.
There's nothing hidden in your head
The Sorting Hat can't see,
So try me on and I will tell you
Where you ought to be.
You might belong in Gryffindor,
Where dwell the brave at heart,
Their daring, nerve, and chivalry set Gryffindors apart;
You might belong in Hufflepuff,
Where they are just and loyal,
Those patient Hufflepuffs are true and unafraid of toil;
Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,
if you've a ready mind,
Where those of wit and learning,
Will always find their kind;
Or perhaps in Slytherin
You'll make your real friends,
Those cunning folk use any means
To achieve their ends.
So put me on! Don't be afraid!
And don't get in a flap!
You're in safe hands (though I have none)
For I'm a Thinking Cap!" The whole Hall burst into applause as the hat finished its song. It bowed to each of the four Houses and then it stilled, waiting for the first years to put it on. Professor McGonagall stepped up holding a long roll of parchment.
"When I call your name, please come forward and sit on the stool, I will then place the Sorting Hat on you." Professor McGonagall lifted the Sorting Hat and called the first name, "Abbott; Hanna!" A pink faced girl with blond pigtails stumbled out of the line, she was wrapped in Canary Yellow and Onyx Black, she sat on the stool and Professor McGonagall placed the hat on her, it fell right down over her eyes.
"HUFFLEPUFF!" The hat shouted a moment later, the hat was lifted and the school's magic that had been wrapped around her unwrapped itself after changing the Hogwarts crest on her robe into the Hufflepuff crest. And then Harry understood what was going on. The table on the right cheered and clapped as Hanna went to sent down at that table.
"Bone; Susan!"
"HUFFLEPUFF!" The hat shouted and once again took the school's magic that had been wrapped around the first year and changed her crest and Susan ran over and sat next to Hanna.
"Boot; Terry!"
"RAVENCLAW!" The table second from the left clapped this time, Terry ran over to the table and a few of the older Ravenclaw student stood up and shook his hand.
"Brocklehurst; Mandy" went to Ravenclaw too, and "Brown; Lavender" became the first new Gryffindor and the table on the far right exploded with cheers. Harry sneered as he lifted a hand to his ear and glared at the table that he swore was trying to bust his ear drum.
"Bulstrode; Millicent" became the first Slytherin and the table on the far left clapped politely for her with faces masked to polite stone. Harry smirked at her as she looked at him and Draco, her face looked bored but her eyes showed that she was happy.
"Finch-Fletchley; Justin!"
"HUFFLEPUFF!" The hat yelled after a few minutes, and Harry realized that since the Sorting Hat didn't really have eyes, it needed to search through the person's magical core and mind to find out where to put the person, some times the hat would be able to find it instantly, other times it took a few minutes to be able to find it.
"Finnigan; Seamus!"
"GRYFFINDOR!"
"Granger; Hermione!" Hermione took a deep breath before walking towards the stool.
"RAVENCLAW!" Hermione smiled before hopping off the stool and ran over to the Ravenclaw table, with her back towards the Slytherin table.
"Longbottom; Neville!" Harry smirked when he saw that Neville purposefully made himself trip and fall over on his way to the stool.
"SLYTHERIN!" The hat yelled and Harry nearly laughed at the shocked and confused looks from every Slytherin, he let out a giggle when Neville purposefully jumped off the stool and nervously ran to the Slytherin table still wearing the Sorting Hat, but he quickly came back and gave the hat back to an annoyed Professor McGonagall.
"How did he get into Slytherin?" Draco asked.
"It's a mask." Harry whispered.
"What?" Draco whispered back.
"What you see Neville doing now, being all nervous and clumsy, is his mask to hide who he really is to the rest of the world." Harry whispered as Draco was called. Draco let go of Harry and swaggered forward, the hat barely touched his head when it shouted for him to be in Slytherin. Draco winked at Harry as he walked over and sat in between Millicent and Daphne, across from Neville. Harry looked back at the rest of the unsorted first years and noticed that there weren't many left yet.
"Moon; Nora!"
"SLYTHERIN!"
"Nott; Theodore!"
"SLYTHERIN!"
"Parkinson; Pansy!"
"SLYTHERIN!"
"Patil; Padma!"
"RAVENCLAW!"
"Patil; Parvati!"
"GRYFFINDOR!"
"Perks; Sally-Anne!"
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
"Potter; Andrew!" Suddenly the Great Hall was silent and tense-full as Andrew made his way up to the stool, Harry heard whispers slowly break out throughout the Great Hall.
"Potter, did she just say Potter?"
"The Andrew Potter?"
"GRYFFINDOR!" The hat yelled and the Gryffindor table jumped and clapped loudly while cheering: "We got Potter! We got Potter!"
"Potter; Harry!" Harry strolled up to the stool and smirked knowing that everyone assumed he would be in Gryffindor with his brother, and heard the whispers for him.
"Is that Andrew's brother?"
"He's so much different than Andrew."
"He's so small and so cute, I just want to take him home and hide him away in my closet." That whisper got a loud growl from some where along the Slytherin table. The last thing that Harry saw before the hat was dropped over his eyes was the Hall full of students craning their next to get a good look at him, the next second he was looking at the black inside of the hat. A minute later he felt his barriers opening a little before closing securely, he frowned and went into his mind to see a man with long dark purple hair that was in a high pony-tail was standing in his library looking at one of his memories that was in the form of a book. Harry walked over to him and the man looked up and looked at him with violate eyes.
"Who are you and what are you doing in here?" Harry demanded.
"Worry not young Harry, I am the true form of the Hat that sorts the first years." The man said putting the memory back where it belonged and began to walk along the book shelves, Harry right behind him, "I am looking to see where you belong, and do not worry, everything that I learn will not leave me, Albus will not find out from me what I learn, the founders made sure that what I learn in the mind of the first years stay between me and that students."
"Okay." Harry said relaxing.
"You impress me Harry, your mind scape and mental shields are impressive, and very organized, not only that but you can read other people's magic and see the School's magic. You are powerful, and will grow even more powerful as the years go on. You will be a force to recon with when you get your magical inheritance." The Sorting Hat said then pulled out another book, "Ah, I see you are the apprentice to Lord Voldemort, a wise decision." He put the book back and went to another shelf and pulled out a random book, Harry noticed it was a book he had never seen before, "Oh, what is this?" The man closed the book when Harry tried to grab it and see what it was, the book suddenly disappeared and the spot where it was closed up. "It seems as though your magic doesn't want you to know this just yet. But from the information that I have learned I know where I shall place you." Suddenly the man was gone and Harry found himself looking at the inside of the Sorting Hat. "You belong in SLYTHERIN!" The hat yelled the last word to the school.